“Indeed, it’s not necessary.” He echoed Qiao Yiming’s words and took out a crystal earring from his pocket.
"I'm here to return something." His slender fingers, holding an earring, stopped in front of her.
"You... you could have just thrown this away, why bother bringing it back? It's like you're afraid people won't notice what we have..."
Qiao Yiming immediately snatched it back from his hand in a panic and casually played with it.
Feigning indifference, he spoke casually, "If this gets out, people will misunderstand. It's just a drunken spree between a man and a woman; neither of us will suffer any loss."
Behind her slightly curved eyes lay a hint of shrewdness and aloofness, as if sleeping with him that night was no big deal.
A bluffing little liar.
Bai Xiujin could see through her feigned composure, but he was still somewhat displeased to hear how casually she spoke about that part of their story.
But he didn't expose her, saying, "Empress Qiao, if you're really not afraid, you don't need to rush to pull me out of your house."
Qiao Yiming felt that he had been seen through, and stared at him unfriendly. Before he could explain, he was interrupted by his words.
"In a foreign land, you dare to drink alcohol offered by others without any precautions. If I hadn't been there that day, your innocence would truly be in jeopardy."
His tone was serious and earnest, and even Qiao Yiming felt that his aura had become somewhat gloomy.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the woman beside him who was still in a daze. "I've already cleaned up the things on your phone for you. In the future, try to avoid associating with these shady people."
...
"It's not like I insisted on going with them... it was just a coincidence... Besides, my innocence isn't even guaranteed now..."
She silently defended herself, the earring on her hand leaving a mark in her palm.
Bai Xiujin was speechless upon hearing her words.
"Alright, thank you. Anyway, don't let my brother know about what's going on between us, or neither of us will be in good shape! Do you hear me?"
She uttered that final threatening remark and quickly pushed open the door to leave.
Seeing her run into the house in her slippers, Bai Xiujin's lips curled into a smile that he himself didn't even realize.
"Ha, so sharp-tongued, yet she knows fear."
Even without her reminder, Bai Xiujin would not have told anyone about it.
Especially since Qiao Yiyang is a bit old-fashioned, if she finds out that he took advantage of her, even if he's a hero saving a damsel in distress, he'll still suffer some consequences.
However, Qiao Yiming's acting skills were terrible at home. He would scold himself for not revealing anything, but he would still make many mistakes.
Qiao Yiyang's gaze lingered on the two of them no less than ten times throughout the afternoon; only she felt that she had hidden it well.
Qiao Yiming hurriedly pushed open the door and entered. Qiao's mother found it strange and asked, "Didn't you say you were going out? Why are you back so soon?"
"I'm not eating anymore. I have something to do. I'll go upstairs first."
She had just given Bai Xiujin an ultimatum, and now she was extremely anxious. With so many parents at the table, she had no appetite for food and felt like she was about to slip up at any moment.
Qiao Yiyang noticed the coat she was wearing but didn't say anything.
Anna met his gaze.
Anna wondered why Qiao Yiming seemed so strange today. He'd dragged her home for dinner, but she'd run off instead of eating…
While still lost in thought, Qiao Yiyang took the opportunity to pick up a piece of food and give it to Anna.
Anna was somewhat taken aback, and Joe's mother was also staring at her son with the same expression...
They completely ignored Qiao Yiming, who had just fled in a hurry.
Qiao Yiyang completely ignored the two strange gazes at the dinner table and ate her meal by herself.
But then, Mrs. Joe's eyes kept darting back and forth between the two of them, making Anna feel a little awkward, so she had to keep her head down and eat.
Qiao Yiyang, unusually, didn't leave even after finishing her meal. She sat at the table and watched her mother enthusiastically serving food to Anna without saying a word.
Until I saw Anna's slightly hesitant eating movements.
He stood up and said, "Let's go, I'll take you home."
His interruption came at just the right time.
Anna looked at the mother and son with a grateful expression.
"You little rascal, they haven't finished eating yet!"
While Qiao's mother was still somewhat dissatisfied, Qiao Yiyang had already turned around and said, "With her appetite, after eating the food you put on her plate, she'll probably have indigestion all night and won't be able to sleep."
After saying that, he had already walked into the living room.
Anna was a little embarrassed by his direct words, blushing as she looked at Mrs. Joe, feeling somewhat ashamed.
Mrs. Qiao nodded nonchalantly, "Go ahead."
Anna breathed a sigh of relief and followed in his footsteps.
My stomach was full, and I did start to feel a little uncomfortable, so I put some space between myself and the food.
Qiao Yiyang handed over the tea she was holding.
"Have some drink. You look like you're about to throw up. If you can't eat, then don't. My mom isn't some kind of monster. Why are you so afraid of her?"
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft. Anna glanced back at the restaurant and said, "I can't refuse Auntie's kindness."
"You're usually quite eloquent when you help Yiming with negotiations, aren't you?"
Qiao Yiyang finished her cup of tea before looking in her direction.
...
Anna was speechless, so she simply emptied her teacup.
As Anna was leaving, her mother chased after her to the door and stuffed the brocade box into Anna's hands: "A gift for meeting."
Seeing that she was about to decline, Qiao's mother quickly added, "Oh, it's nothing valuable. It's a souvenir that my husband and I brought back from our trip. I was thinking that you've taken care of Yiming in the entertainment industry all these years, so this is my way of thanking you."
"Take it! If you refuse again, I'll get angry!"
He also pretended to be angry.
Anna didn't know what to say, so she had no choice but to accept it.
After the car drove away from the Qiao family's house, Anna opened the brocade box in her hand and saw a pair of somewhat dazzling blue diamond earrings inside.
It looked incredibly valuable, and I immediately felt like I was holding a hot potato.
Qiao Yiyang focused on driving.
She closed the box, looked towards the driver's seat, and said, "This stuff is too expensive for me to keep. You should take it back."
Just as I was about to put the box in the drawer of the front seat, Qiao Yiyang's voice suddenly came: "I'm giving it all to you, so just keep it. It's just some little trinkets. My dad takes my mom around the world, and my mom's only hobby is buying things. She always brings back a bunch of stuff."
After hearing what he said, Anna didn't know what else to say.
The atmosphere inside the car suddenly fell silent, and Anna wondered what to say to avoid the awkwardness.
It felt like the two of them had never been this awkward before.
Anna thought that the best person for the two of them to talk to was Qiao Yiming.
"Hmm...don't you think Yiming is acting strange today?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yiyang frowned.
There's a lingering fog in my chest, a feeling of stuffiness.
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